


Shadows in my City

by ambumble



Category: Original Work
Genre: More tags to be added along the way!, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 19:47:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10646811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambumble/pseuds/ambumble





	Shadows in my City

Creak.  
The rotting door squeaks as I push it open. The dust rises, and I sneeze.  
I peer around the edge of the wall, and the dark, musty room looks very ominous. The floor groans as I set my foot down carefully, testing to see if it will hold my weight. I walk into a abandoned bakery, searching. For what, I don't exactly know.

I run my fingers along the wooden counter, listening. Rhys, Rhys, the whole room seems to call me. "What?" I whisper. "What are you trying to tell me?"

A noise comes from outside, and I whip around. Ready to run, always. "Imma?" I say quietly. A head peeks around the door, and I catch Imma's turquoise eyes in mine. "Go away!" I whisper. She disappears.  
I turn back to the room. What is it about this place? How will it help me find River?  
River. My twin brother, missing since two months ago. I have been searching for him, and I had to bring Imma along. "River and Rhys," I say aloud.

I hear a sound from the back part of the bakery, and see a shadow moving across the floor. I tense. Should I leave?  
A man walks into the room, drops a piece of paper, and exits. 

I creep forward to pick up the scrap. The paper reads:  
I will meet you tomorrow night at the Teralon building.  
Information about your brother.

What is that? Code?  
I leave the bakery, and find Imma waiting for me in the alley.

 

 

The concrete is covered in trash and ABC bubble gum. We walk close to the side of the building, staying in the shadows. The street opens into the marketplace, where we stroll casually through the stalls. I slip a few apples into my pocket, while closing my hand over a golden coin. Hopefully, no one notices. I leave, with Imma following. We enter the alley system, and follow my mind map back to our home. Left, right, left, left, right. Several more turns, and we arrive at the empty chalkboard warehouse that I call home. The sky is already dark, so I tell Imma to go to bed. She protests, but I point to the stairs. She sighs, and trudges up to the second tier. I follow not long after.

I lay on the floor, unable to sleep. What if I can't find River? That thought sticks in my head as the dreams begin.  
Us, together, age four. Playing checkers. River frowning when I beat him for the twenty third time. He makes the same moves every time, and I have learned them by heart. Me laughing as he dumps all the pieces on my head.

Age seven. Us learning how to spar. Punch, punch, kick. Three year old Imma watching with wide eyes.

Six years ago, when we were ten, crying together when we found our parents dead bodies. We didn't tell Imma, too young to understand.

And now, the day before he vanished. He was involved in some bad stuff. We were only still here because he helped them. I never learned who they were.

Everyday, my twin brother would come home with food, and money. He never told me where it came from, and I stopped asking. But he began coming home later and later, and finally, he didn't come home at all. But before he disappeared, he told me about them. How he owes them because of us. Then, he didn't return. I have been searching for him for three months.

I wake up shaking, cold and sweaty. The dreams have been all the same, until now. Something has changed.  
I get out of bed, and start decoding the message. All I can understand is:  
I will meet you ???????? ????? at the ??????? ????????.  
??????????? about ???? ???????.  
After carefully comparing symbols, the message reads:

I will meet you tomorrow ----- at the Teralon building.

Tomorrow what? Morning? Afternoon? I realize that I received the message yesterday. Tomorrow...... is today.

Imma comes thumping down the stairs, her blond hair a dull silver in the rainy morning light. I raise my hand in greeting, still focused on the note. "Morning," I say. "Apples in the box." She leaves my peripheral vision, and I continue with the paper.  
The Teralon building..... I check the paper map that River stuck to the table. The Teralon building is located in Kyria, on the other side of the city. I tell Imma that I am leaving, and I'll be home by midnight. She frowns, looking concerned. I hug her, then push the heavy steel door open and step into the rain.

 

The clouds cover the whole sky. That's what I first see when I go outside. I follow the alley paths into the city.

The streets are bustling with people. I drag my feet through the puddles, enjoying the cold water. Each puddle flows into the next. It's almost like... a river. River!  
I snap back to reality. I grab the map from my frayed yellow backpack. "Teralon, Teralon," I mutter, dragging my finger across the faded paper. There! Teralon building, 763 Kyria. I begin to weave my way around the people, and see the tall, shiny buildings. Which one is mine?

I walk through the almost empty streets, watching the people around me.

When I enter Kyria province, everything is nicer. I walk past streets labeled 2, 3, 4. The Teralon building is on 7. I keep going. 5, 6, 7!  
I turn onto 7, trying to look like I belong here. Which is more than slightly hard. I pass a few skyscrapers, and I see some of the names as I walk by. The Sky building. Wow, very creative. The Chu-chu building. At that one, I stop and re-read the sign. Seriously? They named the building Choo choo?

Ahead, I see a large sign reading:  
Teralon building

I run to the building behind the sign. I push the glass door open, and step inside.

 

My feet sink into the plush orange carpet. I look around, taking in the rich furniture. I take my battered watch out of my backpack and check the time. Four thirty seven.

I walk up to the desk at the front of the room. The person eyes me suspiciously as I slide the crumpled note onto the counter. He glances at it, then whispers," Twenty ninth floor."  
I nod, and cross the room to the elevator. I jab the button with my thumb, and the doors creak open.

The elevator is in bad shape. I can hear the cable groaning as the elevator moves up, higher and higher. When it finally wheezes to a stop, I have to bang on the doors before they open.  
I enter a room with soft blue walls, and no windows. "Hello?" I call quietly, not sure if I want an answer.  
"Rhys!" I am greeted by a familiar voice. Teren?  
Teren is River's old friend. I sigh, relieved. "Hey, Teren. What are you doing here?"  
Teren smiles. "Just wanted to see you. Please, sit."  
So I sit.

 

Teren starts talking, but I interrupt him. "Have you seen River?" I ask.  
He sighs, still smiling. "Oh, River." But he doesn't say anything more. "I'll tell you what I know about River later."  
He stands up. "Would do like some tea?" He asks. I nod, but am still thinking about what he said. He knows something about River!

Teren comes back with two cups in his hands. He hands me one, and I stare at the red color swirling into the water. I look up to find Teren watching me, and hurriedly take a sip. I smile at him. "It's great," I say. He looks relieved, like he just got something heavy off his shoulders.

I put the cup on the coffee table, and turn to face him.  
"So, what do you know about River?" I ask, my voice slurring. I try again. "Riv-er," I mumble, my tongue like a block of wood in my mouth. I can feel my thoughts slowing down. What is happening?  
I flop back in the padded chair. Teren's face appears in my wobbly vision. "Ah, Rhys," he murmurs. "You'll see your brother soon.  
That's the last thing I see before the world turns black.

 

Whatever I am laying on is hard against my back. I don't move, fearing what would happen if I did. But I curl my fingers slightly, trying to get a feel of where I am. I know I can't stay like this forever.

Exactly twenty seven minutes later, I open my eyes. No!  
My vision is blurry, and I can't make out any distinct shapes. My glasses are missing.

I drag my hands across the smooth white floor, pushing myself to my feet. That's when I hear it.  
"Rhys!"  
Wait, is that... "River?" I say.


End file.
